THE THOUGHT CROSSED MY MIND

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georgeschaefer

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Joined: 2018/03/05

THE THOUGHT CROSSED MY MIND

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CHOKE THE CHICKEN

Taking a stroll

thru the Gallery

and running into Ketan.

We talk for awhile

rapping about poetry.

We grab seats

by the pretzel stand

while Ketan waits

for a pretzel to be baked

He gives me a pep talk

on self promotion & politics

admittedly among my weaker points.

At another table

are two young black women, quite pretty

One is incredibly well constructed

wearing white short shorts

and a white halter top.

She walks by a table

where three young black men are sitting

and quite she obviously catches their eyes.

Then in an intentional tease—

a magnificent, taunting tease
she walks back over to the table

and kinda leans over a bit

putting wondrous curves on full display.

No doubt inspiring lustful thoughts

in her quarry;

inducing plenty of impure notions

to be certain.

I must admit some prurient thoughts

crossed my mind as well—

but then she was gone.

I turned back to Ketan

and said,

“I’m sorry.

What were you saying?

I lost my train of thought.”

7-30-95

Author's Notes/Comments:

Ketan Ben Cesar was a local Philly poet who was influential in the spoken word scene for the last quarter of the 20th Century and into the 21st Century. He passed on in 2015. He was a poet of the people. The Gallery was a shopping Center attached to the Market East Station in Center City Philadelphia. I routinely ran into Ketan out on the street and in the local markets. This was a poem I found in an old notebook. So Ketan, I salute you.